INDIANAPOLIS — Former Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly originally got invited to the Scouting Combine, but that invitation was then rescinded.

More than ever, the NFL is worried about its image. As a result, the league has decided to keep certain prospects with questionable off-the-field behavior on their records away from its most publicized evaluation event.

Kelly is one of several players talented enough to be put on display, but instead he’ll have to wait until the Rebels hold their Pro Day — scheduled for April 3 in Oxford — to strut his stuff in front of a mass audience of potential employers. He’s being haunted by an ugly incident at a Buffalo nightclub in January of 2015.

However, there have been several complaints already floating around the Indiana Convention Center. They’re not coming from Kelly’s camp, either.

Coaches and general managers are in Indy to get an up-close-and-personal look at the 330 prospects that are on hand. Some of them have been vocal with their belief that it’s their job to determine if a player is draftable, not the NFL’s.

In addition to Kelly, former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon — a potential first-rounder if going on skill alone — was also left on the cutting-room floor. Kelly’s incident wasn’t nearly as grotesque as Mixon’s, which involved him viciously punching a female student, but both of them have been swept into the same radioactive category.

Not only is it now harder for these players to get chosen, but it’s also more difficult for teams to grade them ahead of draft weekend.

“I never felt the combine was a reward for a college career,” Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said Thursday when asked about Kelly. “I feel it’s an evaluation for us.”

The league has brought 15 signal callers to the combine this year, and it’s fair to say that Kelly has more ability than half of them. No reasonable SEC fan thinks that former Texas A&M QB Trevor Knight, who made the cut, will be a better pro.

That’s not to suggest Kelly would be a no-brainer for Round 1 — unlike Mixon — if he didn’t have character concerns. Even if he’s a gifted passer, he’s also flawed. He’s got good size, but he’s not a monster. He’s got a strong arm, but it’s not a cannon. He’s thrown for a lot of touchdowns, but he’s turned it over a bunch, too.

Still, 4,000-yard passers don’t grow on trees in the best conference in America. He’s one of only three in history.

“We’ll get our work done one way or another,” Telesco said. “We’ll just do it in different ways.”

When news originally broke that Kelly’s invite to the combine had been taken away, rumors of him making the trip anyway began to swirl. After all, he was training accordingly in the Pensacola area and had his flight booked.

That idea was quickly squashed, though. Maybe trying to kick down a door that had been shut in his face wouldn’t have been the right look — especially for a player sporting a red flag or two. In the end, Team Kelly decided to concentrate all efforts on his Pro Day and whatever individual workouts his representation can set up for him.

But support for Kelly’s cause is beginning to take shape. While the NFL may be played on Sundays, this isn’t a league full of choir boys.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) drops back to pass in the first quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

PICK SIX

  • Somewhat surprisingly, LSU’s Leonard Fournette is the heaviest running back in Indy at 240 pounds. For comparison purposes, Alabama’s Derrick Henry, who most fans assume is much bigger than Fournette, was 247 at last year’s combine. If Fournette still runs his 40-yard dash Friday in the 4.4s, then nobody will care. But if he runs in the 4.6s, his weight could be a concern.
  • Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara may have shared a backfield with Jalen Hurd, although that doesn’t mean the two of them were boys. According to Kamara, he hasn’t talked to his former teammate since Hurd quit the Volunteers midseason. Kamara took the Texas A&M game, his first as a starter, very seriously in the wake of Hurd’s abrupt departure to show everyone how good he can really be.
  • Despite the fact that he left school early for the draft, Kentucky’s Stanley “Boom” Williams isn’t a sure bet to hear his name called. It’s a loaded class of tailbacks, which makes it easier to overlook him. As a result, Williams has highlighted the fact that he can also return kicks and contribute in other ways on special teams. That may be his chance at a roster spot.
  • Vanderbilt’s Will Holden is getting increasingly comfortable at four of the five positions along the offensive line. Mostly a tackle in college, he played both guard and tackle in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. Here at the combine, some teams expect him to line up inside at guard. Others see a possible bookend at tackle. Versatility can only help him.
  • When asked about his teammates at Texas A&M, Avery Gennesy repeated the one word that was thrown around all year to describe Knight: “leadership.” As far as D-end Myles Garrett is concerned, Gennesy said the potential No. 1 overall selection got bigger each and every season in College Station but still maintained all of his speed and quickness.
  • Alabama’s Cam Robinson didn’t even give the media a chance to bring up “the elephant in the room,” as he called it. Yes, he has been asked by teams repeatedly about being arrested this past May on drug and weapon charges. The way Robinson tells it, he simply shares his side of the story. Do the clubs seem satisfied? “We get past that and we talk about football,” he said.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.